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I’ve always been fascinated by people who are consistently successful at what they do; especially those who experience repeated success in many areas of their life throughout their lifetime. In entertainment, I think of Clint Eastwood and Oprah Winfrey. In business, I think of Steve Jobs and Warren Buffett. We all have our own examples of super successful people like these who we admire. But how do they do it?

Over the years I’ve studied the lives of numerous successful people. I’ve read their books, watched their interviews, researched them online, etc. And I’ve learned that most of them were not born into success; they simply did, and continue to do, things that help them realize their full potential. Here are twelve things they do differently that the rest of us can easily emulate.

1. They create and pursue S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Successful people are objective. They have realistic targets in mind. They know what they are looking for and why they are fighting for it. Successful people create and pursue S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Specific – A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a related specific goal would be, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week for the next52 weeks.” A specific goal has a far greater chance of being accomplished because it has defined parameters and constraints.

Measurable – There must be a logical system for measuring the progress of a goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask yourself questions like: How much time? How many total? How will I know when the goal is accomplished? etc. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued efforts required to reach your goal.

Attainable – To be attainable, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. In other words, the goal must be realistic. The big question here is: How can the goal be accomplished?

Relevant – Relevance stresses the importance of choosing goals that matter. For example, an internet entrepreneur’s goal to “Make 75 tuna sandwiches by 2:00PM.” may be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Timely, but lacks Relevance to an entrepreneurs overarching objective of building a profitable online business.

Timely – A goal must be grounded within a time frame, giving the goal a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps you focus your efforts on the completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by daily distractions.

When you identify S.M.A.R.T. goals that are truly important to you, you become motivated to figure out ways to attain them. You develop the necessary attitude, abilities, and skills. You can achieve almost any goal you set if you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that once seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.

2. They take decisive and immediate action.

Sadly, very few people ever live to become the success story they dream about. And there’s one simple reason why:

They never take action!

The acquisition of knowledge doesn’t mean you’re growing. Growing happens when what you know changes how you live. So many people live in a complete daze. Actually, they don’t ‘live.’ They simply ‘get by’ because they never take the necessary action to make things happen – to seek their dreams.

It doesn’t matter if you have a genius IQ and a PhD in Quantum Physics, you can’t change anything or make any sort of real-world progress without taking action. There’s a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it. Knowledge and intelligence are both useless without action. It’s as simple as that.

Success hinges on the simple act of making a decision to live – to absorb yourself in the process of going after your dreams and goals. So make that decision. And take action. For some practical guidance on taking action I highly recommend Getting Things Done.

3. They focus on being productive, not being busy.

In his book, The 4-Hour Workweek, Tim Ferris says, “Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. Being busy is often a form of mental laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.” This is Ferris’ way of saying “work smarter, not harder,” which happens to be one of the most prevalent modern day personal development clichés. But like most clichés, there’s a great deal of truth to it, and few people actually adhere to it.

Just take a quick look around. The busy outnumber the productive by a wide margin.

Busy people are rushing all over the place, and running late half of the time. They’re heading to work, conferences, meetings, social engagements, etc. They barely have enough free time for family get-togethers and they rarely get enough sleep. Yet, business emails are shooting out of their smart phones like machine gun bullets, and their daily planner is jammed to the brim with obligations.

Their busy schedule gives them an elevated sense of importance. But it’s all an illusion. They’re like hamsters running on a wheel.

The solution: Slow down. Breathe. Review your commitments and goals. Put first things first. Do one thing at a time. Start now. Take a short break in two hours. Repeat.

And always remember, results are more important than the time it takes to achieve them.

4. They make logical, informed decisions.

Sometimes we do things that are permanently foolish simply because we are temporarily upset or excited.

Although emotional ‘gut instincts’ are effective in certain fleeting situations, when it comes to generating long-term, sustained growth in any area of life, emotional decisions often lead a person astray. Decisions driven by heavy emotion typically contain minimal amounts of conscious thought, and are primarily based on momentary feelings instead of mindful awareness.

The best advice here is simple: Don’t let your emotions trump your intelligence. Slow down and think things through before you make any life-changing decisions.

5. They avoid the trap of trying to make things perfect.

Many of us are perfectionists in our own right. I know I am at times. We set high bars for ourselves and put our best foot forward. We dedicate copious amounts of time and attention to our work to maintain our high personal standards. Our passion for excellence drives us to run the extra mile, never stopping, never relenting. And this dedication towards perfection undoubtedly helps us achieve results… So long as we don’t get carried away.

But what happens when we do get carried away with perfectionism?

We become disgruntled and discouraged when we fail to meet the (impossibly high) standards we set for ourselves, making us reluctant to take on new challenges or even finish tasks we’ve already started. Our insistence on dotting every ‘I’ and crossing every ‘T’ breeds inefficiency, causing major delays, stress overload and subpar results.

True perfectionists have a hard time starting things and an even harder time finishing them, always. I have a friend who has wanted to start a graphic design business for several years. But she hasn’t yet. Why? When you sift through her extensive list of excuses it comes down to one simple problem: She is a perfectionist. Which means she doesn’t, and never will, think she’s good enough at graphic design to own and operate her own graphic design business.

Remember, the real world doesn’t reward perfectionists. It rewards people who get things done. And the only way to get things done is to be imperfect 99% of the time. Only by wading through years of practice and imperfection can we begin to achieve momentary glimpses of the perfection. So make a decision. Take action, learn from the outcome, and repeat this method over and over again in all walks of life. Also, check outToo Perfect. It’s an excellent read on conquering perfectionism.

6. They work outside of their comfort zone.

The number one thing I persistently see holding smart people back is their own reluctance to accept an opportunity simply because they don’t think they’re ready. In other words, they feel uncomfortable and believe they require additional knowledge, skill, experience, etc. before they can aptly partake in the opportunity. Sadly, this is the kind of thinking that stifles personal growth and success.

The truth is nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow emotionally and intellectually. They force us to stretch ourselves and our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first. And when we don’t feel comfortable, we don’t feel ready.

Significant moments of opportunity for personal growth and success will come and go throughout your lifetime. If you are looking to make positive changes and new breakthroughs in your life, you will need to embrace these moments of opportunity even though you will never feel 100% ready for them.

7. They keep things simple.

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. Here in the 21st century, where information moves at the speed of light and opportunities for innovation seem endless, we have an abundant array of choices when it comes to designing our lives and careers. But sadly, an abundance of choice often leads to complication, confusion and inaction.

Several business and marketing studies have shown that the more product choices a consumer is faced with, the less products they typically buy. After all, narrowing down the best product from a pool of three choices is certainly a lot easier than narrowing down the best product from a pool of three hundred choices. If the purchasing decision is tough to make, most people will just give up. Likewise, if you complicate your life by inundating yourself with too many choices, your subconscious mind will give up.

The solution is to simplify. If you’re selling a product line, keep it simple. And if you’re trying to make a decision about something in your life, don’t waste all your time evaluating every last detail of every possible option. Choose something that you think will work and give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, learn what you can from the experience, choose something else and keep pressing forward.

8. They focus on making small, continuous improvements.

Henry Ford once said, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small pieces.” The same concept configured as a question: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time. This philosophy holds true for achieving your biggest goals. Making small, positive changes – eating a little healthier, exercising a little, creating some small productive habits, for example – is an amazing way to get excited about life and slowly reach the level of success you aspire to.

And if you start small, you don’t need a lot of motivation to get started either. The simple act of getting started and doing something will give you the momentum you need, and soon you’ll find yourself in a positive spiral of changes – one building on the other. When I started doing this in my life, I was so excited I had to start this blog to share it with the world.

Start with just one activity, and make a plan for how you will deal with troubles when they arise. For instance, if you’re trying to lose weight, come up with a list of healthy snacks you can eat when you get the craving for snacks. It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier. And that’s the whole point. As your strength grows, you can take on bigger challenges.

9. They measure and track their progress.

Successful people are not only working in their job/business, they are also working on it. They step back and assess their progress regularly. They track themselves against their goals and clearly know what needs to be done to excel and accelerate.

You can’t control what you don’t properly measure. If you track the wrong things you’ll be completely blind to potential opportunities as they appear over the horizon. Imagine if, while running a small business, you made it a point to keep track of how many pencils and paperclips you used. Would that make any sense? No! Because pencils and paperclips are not a measure of what’s important for a business. Pencils and paperclips have no bearing on income, customer satisfaction, market growth, etc.

The proper approach is to figure out what your number one goal is and then track the things that directly relate to achieving that goal. I recommend that you take some time right now to identify your number one goal, identify the most important things for you to keep track of, and then begin tracking them immediately. On a weekly basis, plug the numbers into a spreadsheet and use the data to create weekly or monthly trend graphs so you can visualize your progress. Then fine-tune your actions to get those trends to grow in your favor.

10. They maintain a positive outlook as they learn from their mistakes.

Successful people concentrate on the positives – they look for the silver lining in every situation. They know that it is their positivity that will take them to greatness. If you want to be successful, you need to have a positive outlook toward life. Life will test you again and again. If you give in to internal negativity, you will never be able to achieve the marks you have targeted.

Remember, every mistake you make is progress. Mistakes teach you important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.

11. They spend time with the right people.

Successful people associate with people who are likeminded, focused, and supportive. They socialize with people who create energy when they enter the room versus those who create energy when they leave. They reach out to connected, influential individuals who are right for their dreams and goals.

You are the sum of the people you spend the most time with. If you hang with the wrong people, they will negatively affect you. But if you hang with the right people, you will become far more capable and successful than you ever could have been alone. Find your tribe and work together to make a difference in all of your lives. Tribes by Seth Godin is a great read on this topic.

12. They maintain balance in their life.

If you ask most people to summarize what they want out of life they’ll shout out a list of things like: ‘fall in love,’ ‘make money,’ ‘spend time with family,’ ‘find happiness,’ ‘achieve goals,’ etc. But sadly, a lot of people don’t balance their life properly to achieve these things. Typically they’ll achieve one or two of them while completely neglecting the rest. Let me give you two examples:

I know an extremely savvy businesswoman who made almost a million dollars online last year. Based on the success of her business, every entrepreneur I know looks up to her. But guess what? A few days ago, out of the blue, she told me that she’s depressed. Why? “I’m burnt out and lonely. I just haven’t taken enough time for myself lately, and I feel like something is missing in my life,” she said. “Wow!” I thought. “One of the most successful people I know doesn’t feel successful because she isn’t happy with how she has balanced her life.”

I also know a surfer who surfs all day, every day on the beach in front of our condo complex in San Diego. He’s one of the most lighthearted, optimistic guys I’ve ever met – usually smiling from ear to ear. But he sleeps in a rusty van he co-owns with another surfer, and they both frequently panhandle tourists for money. He has admitted to me that the stress of making enough money to eat often keeps him up at night. So while I can’t deny that this man seems happy most of the time, I wouldn’t classify his life as a success story.

These are just two simple examples of imbalanced lifestyles that are holding people back from their full potential. When you let your work life (or social life, family life, etc.) consume you, and all your energy is focused in that area, it’s extremely easy to lose your balance. While drive and focus are important, if you’re going to get things done right, and be truly successful, you need to balance the various dimensions of your life. Completely neglecting one dimension for another only leads to long-term frustration and stress. For some practical guidance on balancing your life, I recommend Zen and the Art of Happiness.

Sometimes we find ourselves running in place, struggling to get ahead simply because we forget to address some of the simple truths that govern our potential to make progress. So here’s a quick reminder:

The acquisition of knowledge doesn’t mean you’re growing. Growing happens when what you know changes how you live.

You can’t have good ideas unless you’re willing to generate a lot of bad ones.

People seldom do things to the best of their ability. They do things to the best of their willingness.

You can’t change other people; you can only offer guidance, and lead by example.

Right now, there’s a lot you don’t know. And if you never challenge your own beliefs, the list will never shrink.

If you’re talking to someone you don’t know well, you may be talking to someone who knows way more about the topic of conversation than youdo.

The most common and harmful addiction in the world is the draw of comfort.

Growth begins at the end of your comfort zone. Stepping outside of your comfort zone will put things into perspective from an angle you can’t grasp now.

When you spend time worrying, you’re simply using your imagination to create things you don’t want.

It’s usually only as good or bad as you think it is. Most of what we see is only what we think about what we see.

Most of the bad things you worry about will never happen. Most of the bad things that do happen will have never crossed your worried mind.

Some circumstances are uncontrollable, but we can always decide how we react to those circumstances.

Those who complain the most, accomplish the least.

Whenever somebody discredits you, and tells you that you can’t do something, keep in mind that they are speaking from within the boundaries of their own limitations.

Every problem you have in your life right now is your responsibility, regardless of who initially caused it.

It’s not so much about finding opportunities as it is about creating them.

Having a plan, even a flawed one at first, is better than no plan at all.

Paving your own road is intelligent only if nobody has gone exactly where you are going.

What you do every day matters more than what you do every once in a while.

What you don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow.

If you’re waiting for the perfect conditions, ideas or plans to get started, you’ll never achieve anything.

Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.

Putting something off makes it instantly harder and scarier.

You cannot change what you refuse to confront.

If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.

The harder you work, the luckier you will become.

Kindness and hard work together will always carry you farther than intelligence.

Lots of successful people have failed as many times as they have succeeded.

Failures are simply lessons that help you prepare for next time.

Being successful is a journey, not a destination.

To be successful does not mean you have to dominate others; it means you have to dominate your own potential.

Your success isn’t just about you. It’s about how you positively impact the lives around you.

Being busy and being productive are two different things.

Being happy and being successful are two different things.

You have every right to be happy, but it’s up to YOU and only YOU to exercise that right.

Everyone you meet is better than you at something. We all have different strengths. What worked for someone else might not work for you.

When you’re worried about what others think of you, you’re really just worried about what you think of yourself.

The bad news: nothing is permanent. The good news: nothing is permanent.

You don’t have to settle. It’s simply a choice you make every day. If you don’t like your life, then it’s time to start making changes and better choices.

There’s no such thing as ‘risk free.’ Everything you do or don’t do has an inherent risk.

No matter how smart you are, you will make mistakes.

Problems, when they arise, are rarely as painful and hurtful as the process of fearing them.

Confusion isn’t a bad thing. It means you’re growing and thinking.

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

In the beginning, you need to say “yes” to a lot of things to discover and establish your goals. Later on, you need to say “no” to a lot of things and concentrate on your goals.

Even if it doesn’t cost any money, it’s not free if it takes up your time.

No matter how you make a living or who you think you work for, you only work for one person, yourself. The big question is: What are you selling, and to whom?

Money makes life easier only when it’s yours free and clear. The stress of financial debt can change a person.

The fewer possessions you own, the more you will use and enjoy them.

Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.

There is good reason why you should wake each morning and mindfully consider what and who you will give your day to: Because unlike other things in life - love, money, respect, good health, hope, opportunities, and many more - time is the one thing you can never get back once it’s gone.

Cutting your losses is often better than the alternative.

We sometimes do things that are permanently foolish just because we are temporarily upset.

Screaming at people always makes things worse.

Everyone likes a person who gets straight to the point.

First impressions are oftentimes inaccurate judgments of a person’s true character.

When you’re up, your friends know who you are. When you’re down, you know who your friends are.

If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.

When someone truly loves you, they don’t ever have to say a word. You will be able to tell simply by the way they treat you over the long-term.

We rarely lose friends, we usually just figure out who our real ones are.

Just because one person doesn’t seem to care for you, doesn’t mean you should forget about everyone else who does.

Family isn’t always blood. They’re the people in your life who want you in theirs – the ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what.

Good looks attracts the eyes. Personality attracts the heart.

In human relationships, distance is not measured in miles but in affection. Two people can be right next to each other, yet miles apart.

Being nice to someone you dislike doesn’t mean you’re fake. It means you’re mature enough to control your emotions.

If you aren’t happy being single, you won’t be happy in a relationship. You have to create your own life first before you can share it with someone else.

Whenever you hate someone or something, you are giving that person or thing a piece of your heart.

Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.

It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.

Saying “no” to right people gives you the time and resources required to say “yes” to right opportunities.

When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.

You can raise the bar or you can wait for others to raise it. Either way, it’s getting raised.

In life you get what you put in. If you want love, give love. If you want friends, be friendly. If you want money, provide value. It really is this simple.

Cynicism might seem warranted at times, but it’s never useful.

Everyone dies, some sooner than later, and often unexpectedly. To know this means you are alive, with a chance to make the time you have left count.

You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself. You are competing to be the best you can be.

Trying to be somebody you’re not is a sure path to self-hate, and a waste of the person you are.

It’s better to be disliked for who you are than to be liked for who you are not.

Giving up doesn’t always mean you’re weak, sometimes it means you are strong enough and smart enough to let go.

Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.

You can’t make the same exact mistake twice. The second time you make it, it’s no longer a mistake, it’s a choice.

Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

You never have to deal with more than one moment at a time.

Many of the greatest lessons we learn in life we don’t seek on purpose.

You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.

A harsh fact of life: Bad things do happen to good people.

Regardless of the situation, the sun rises the next day and life goes on.

You never know how strong you really are until being strong is the only choice you have.

We end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.

We meet no ordinary people in our lives. If you give them a chance, everyone has something amazing to offer.

Every passing face on the street represents a story every bit as compelling and complicated as yours.

People are not as beautiful as they look, as they walk, or as they talk. They are only as beautiful as they love, as they care, and as they share.

Silence is often the loudest cry. So pay attention to those you care about.

Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world.

Blowing out another’s candle will not make yours shine brighter.

No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.

Things turn out best for people who make the best out of the way things turn out.

Life is short. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.

Life is not complicated. We are complicated. When we stop doing the wrong things and start doing the right things, life is simple.

So starting today…

Stop berating yourself for being a work in progress. – Start embracing it! Because being a work in progress doesn’t mean you’re not good enough today. It means you want a better tomorrow, and you wish to love yourself completely, so you can live your life fully. It means you’re determined to heal your heart, expand your mind and cultivate the gifts you know you’re meant to share. May we all be works in progress forever, and celebrate the fact that we are!

Stop doing immoral things simply because you can. – Start being honest with yourself and everyone else. Don’t cheat. Be faithful. Be kind. Do the right thing! It is a less complicated way to live. Integrity is the essence of everything successful. When you break the rules of integrity you invite serious complications into your life. Keep life simpleand enjoyable by doing what you know in your heart is right.

Stop meaning what you don’t say. – Start communicating clearly. Don’t try to read other people’s minds, and don’t make other people try to read yours. Most problems, big and small, within a family, friendship, or business relationship, start with bad communication. Someone isn’t being clear.

Stop wasting time and money trying to acquire more of everything. – Start focusing on quality. High quality is worth more than any quantity, in possessions, friends and experiences. Truly ‘rich’ people need less to be happy. Live a comfortable life, not a wasteful one. Too many people buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have to impress people they don’t know. Do not spend to impress others. Do not live life trying to fool yourself into thinking wealth is measured in material objects. Manage your money wisely so your money does not manage you.

Stop spending time with negative people. – Start spending time with nice people who are smart, driven and likeminded. Relationships should help you, not hurt you. Surround yourself with people who reflectthe person you want to be. Choose friends who you are proud to know, people you admire, who love and respect you – people who make your day a little brighter simply by being in it. Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. When you free yourself of negative people, you free yourself to be YOU – and being YOU is the simplest way to live.

Stop trying to change people. – Start accepting people just the way they are. In most cases it’s impossible to change them anyway, and it’s rude to try. So save yourself from needless stress. Instead of trying to change others, give them your support and lead by example.

Stop being lazy and cutting corners. – Start avoiding future headaches by doing things right the first time. Always put your best foot forward. Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. Why give less than 100%? Life is too short to waste it by living below your full potential. If something is worth doing, then it’s worth doing well.

Stop procrastinating. – Start taking action and making changes. Action and change are often resisted when they’re needed most. Get a hold of yourself and have discipline. Discipline is choosing what you really want over what you want right now. Putting something off makes it instantly harder and scarier. What we don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow. And there’s nothing more stressful than the perpetual lingering of an unfinished task.

Stop worrying and complaining. – Start focusing on the things you can control and do something about them. Those who complain the most accomplish the least. And when you spend time worrying, you’re simply using your imagination to create things you don’t want. It’s usually only as good or bad as you think it is.

Stop being dramatic. – Start spending less time gossiping about problems and more time helping yourself and others solve them. Stay out of people’s needless drama and don’t create your own.

Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Start focusing on being everything to someone. Helping or pleasing everyone is impossible. But making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus and be yourself.

Stop making promises you can’t keep. – Starting under-promising and over-delivering on everything you do. Period.

Stop blaming others. – Start accepting responsibility for everything in your life. Blaming others accomplishes nothing and prolongs the complications you’re facing. Either you own your problems, or they will own you. Your choice. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give up your power over that part of your life.

Stop reacting without a plan. – Start planning and working toward specific goals. Make a list of your top 3 - 5 goals. What’s most important to you? What do you value most? What 3 - 5 things do you most want to do in your life? Simplifying your life starts with these priorities, as you are trying to make room in your life so you have more time for these things. Having a plan, even a flawed one at first, is better than no plan at all. There is good reason why you should wake each morning and mindfully consider what and who you will give your day to: Because unlike other things in life – love, money, respect, good health, hope, opportunities, etc. – time is the one thing you can never get back once it’s gone.

Stop confusing ‘being busy’ with ‘being productive.’ – Start tracking and measuring your progress. Being busy and being productive are two very different things. Results are more important than the time it takes to achieve them.

Stop over-committing and trying to do too much at once. – Start saying “no” more often. If you never say “no,” you will take on too much and get nothing accomplished. In the beginning, you need to say “yes” to a lot of things to discover and establish your goals. Later on, you need to say “no” to a lot of things and concentrate on your goals. Once your goals are established, focus on doing one thing at a time and doing it well. Also, leave space around commitments in your day. Whether you have appointments, or things you need to do, don’t stack them back-to-back. Leave a little space between things you need to do, so you will have room for contingencies, and you’ll go through your day much more relaxed.

Stop being inefficient simply because you’ve always done it that way. – Start opening your mind to making positive changes. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Many times we live with unplanned, complex systems in our lives simply because we haven’t given them much thought. Instead, streamline your life by finding better ways of handling common tasks. Focus on one system at a time (your cleaning system, your errands system, your paperwork system, your email system, etc.) and try to make it simplified, efficient, and logical. Then, once you have it perfected, stick to it.

Stop cluttering your space. – Start clearing clutter. Get rid of stuff you don’t use and then organize what’s left. If you have a cluttered living or working space, it can be distracting and stressful. A clear space is like a blank canvas, available to be used to create something great. Getting truly organized and clutter-free can vastly improve anyone’s life.

Stop obsessing over the past and future. – Start being present. Paying more attention to the current moment can make a huge difference in simplifying your life. It keeps you aware of life, of what’s going on around you and within you. It does wonders for your sanity and stress levels.

Stop waiting for things to be perfect. – Start thinking of how many things don’t get done in this world simply because people are waiting for the perfect time, place and circumstance. If you’re waiting for the perfect conditions, ideas or plans to get started, you’ll never achieve anything. A good idea without action is nothing at all. Keep it simple and just start. Focus on the next positive step forward.

Stop focusing so much energy on trying to avoid mistakes. – Start learning from your mistakes, then smile and move on. No matter how smart you are, you will make mistakes. Trying to avoid them will only waste time and complicate your life. There is a lesson in every mistake you make, and learning the lesson is how you move forward.

Stop making emotional decisions. – Start taking a few steps back so you can think things through. When you’re caught up in the moment and your emotions are soaring, you’re bound to make poor decisions that will lead to needless complications. The best advice here is simple: Don’t let your emotions trump your intelligence. Slow down and think things through before you make any big decisions.

Stop being unhealthy. – Start taking care of your body. Start sleeping eight hours every night. A tired, malnourished mind is over-stressed and rarely productive. Your health is your life, don’t let it go. Eat right, exercise and get an annual physical check-up. The The 4-Hour Body is an insightful and entertaining read on this topic.

Stop holding on to intimate relationships that make you unhappy. – Start looking out for yourself when it comes to intimate relationships. It’s better to WAIT, and give your hand to someone who will never let go, rather than holding on to the outside of a hand that has never fully opened for you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. Remember, anyone can come into your life and say how much they love you. But it takes someone really special to stay in your life and show you how much they love you. So slow it down. True love is worth the wait.

Stop holding on to hate. – Starting letting hate go! Keep your sights set on the future. Holding on to hate and anger is like grasping hot coals with the intent of throwing them at someone else – you are the one who gets burned. If you want to forget someone, and move on, you must give up hating them. It’s hard to forget someone you hate, because hate takes pieces of your heart – thereby keeping this person within your heart. If you want to forget them, let go of the hate, and create peace in your heart instead. Also, remember that whenever you hate something, it usually hates you back: people, situations, and inanimate objects alike; which will only further complicate your life.

Stop pretending like you know everything. – Start accepting the fact that there’s a lot you don’t know. Nobody has it all figured out. Nobody knows more than a minuscule fraction of what’s going on in the world. Why? Because the world is simply way too vast for any one person to know everything well. And most of what we see is only what we think about what we see. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you will stop making the same unnecessary mistakes, and the sooner new doors of opportunity will open in your life.

Stop giving what you don’t want to receive. – Start practicing the golden rule. If you want love, give love. If you want friends, be friendly. If you want money, provide value. It works. It really is this simple.

Hello Friends,After My Previous Post Happy New Year !! 2012 Arrives, I'm Here Back With A Nice and Cool Post In which You Will Know About Punchtab. It is A Free Loyalty Program Builder For Your Blogs, Sites Which Will Help in Social Engagement In Your Site. This is Really A Great Plugin For All Newbies and Pro Bloggers.

What Is Punchtab?

PunchTab is the world’s first instant loyalty platform that allows website owners (including bloggers), application developers and brands to create a social and mobile-enabled loyalty program for free in minutes. We have two popular products today, both of which cost nothing to use:

An ongoing loyalty program that you can use to encourage your users to visit every day, share your content on social networks and leave comments (we also have a development kit that allows you to add custom ways to earn points). Users will earn points every day for their actions and can redeem for rewards from a customizable loyalty catalog when they earn enough points.

A one-time promotional giveaway widget that encourages your users to spread the word about your site in exchange for entries into a prize raffle.

More details about PunchTab’s giveaway widget:

The PunchTab giveaway widget allows your users to earn entries into a raffle for a prize that you provide by taking the following actions on your site:

Liking your giveaway on Facebook. (+1 entry)

Becoming a Facebook Fan of your website. (+1 entry)

Leaving a comment about your giveaway. (+1 entry)

Tweeting about your giveaway. (+1 entry)

Sharing your giveaway on their Facebook wall. (+1 entry)

Sending Facebook invites to their friends. (+1 entry for each invite)

Distributing a unique invite link to your giveaway. (+1 entry for each friend that visits your giveaway and +5 entries for each friend that joins the giveaway) This is a great way to make sure that your users tell all their friends about your site.

Your loyalty program

To set up a loyalty program on your site you can simply visit the homepage of PunchTab.com and sign up using your email address and domain. Make sure to provide a valid email address; this is where we’ll email you a temporary password to log back in and manage your loyalty program. Also make sure to use just the domain component of your website address (eg. domain.com, do not use www.domain.com) unless you are on a blogging platform like Blogger where you’ll want to use the full URL. The installation wizard will take you through the steps of getting your loyalty program up and running on your site with in-line help along the way. You should take this time to change the password we emailed you to something that you’ll remember.

After installing you should log out of PunchTab.com and visit your site and make sure that the program is working. You should see a red Rewards tab appear on the side of your site (this can be customized, see below); any social sharing buttons or comment boxes that you already have will automatically be detected and a red ribbon will appear next to them (these can be turned off, see below). Not all social sharing buttons and comment boxes are supported (see the Earning Opportunities section for more details).

Earning opportunities for your users

Your users can earn points on your site in the following ways; a small red ribbon will appear next to supported social sharing buttons and comment boxes automatically.

Visiting your site every day – for their first visit to your site every day your users will earn 100 points

Liking your content on Facebook – for their first Like on your site every day your users will earn 100 points

Tweeting your content – for their first Tweet on your site every day your users will earn 100 points

Google +1 your content – for their first Google +1 on your site every day your users will earn 100 points

Commenting – for their first comment of the day your users will earn 100 points

Currently we do not support third party social sharing widgets but fully support generic:

We also only support the following commenting systems Facebook, Wordpress (requires plugin), Typepad, Blogger, DISQUS.

As you can see the maximum number of loyalty points that a user can earn in one day is 500.

They also have a developer kit that allows you to define custom earning actions. You can go to our blog and find examples showing how you can use it: Simple Javascript SDK Tutorial – Reward Enable Your Website and if you are interested, you can get access to the SDK by activating your developer account on PunchTab.